


i just want to get lost in your lungs

by LilyoseLRC



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, POV Theo Raeken, Secret Admirer, Slow Burn, Texting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:13:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25019842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyoseLRC/pseuds/LilyoseLRC
Summary: Brett hummed before inquiring, “I mean you could text him?”“Text him?” Theo repeated slowly, “But I do that literally every day.”“No,” Brett replied frustratedly, running a hand over his face as he tried to articulate his thoughts, “I mean like, I don’t know, buy a cheap phone and pretend to be his secret admirer or something?
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 23
Kudos: 47





	1. The First Message

**Author's Note:**

> Here's to my first multichapter! 
> 
> I'm not sure how long this is going to be at the moment, though I will input a number of chapters when I decide. :)
> 
> (title is lyrics from the song 'Single' by The Neighbourhood!)

Falling for Liam Dunbar was inevitable, really. The young werewolf had always been an enigma in Theo’s life. He was always the one to challenge and fight him- always testing the boundaries when it came to Theo’s comfort zone. 

But, he was also the one that encouraged and respected him. 

Liam was the one who dragged Theo from the pits of hell. Liam was the one who convinced the pack he had once torn apart that he was trustworthy. Liam was the one who gave him a home, both in a person and a place. 

So yeah; Theo wasn’t all that surprised when he looked at the other boy one day and felt the foreign intrusion of an entourage of stomach-pains, or what the sappy and lovestruck likes of Corey or Mason would call “butterflies”. But Theo didn’t really tend to take their advice when it came to love and relationships...since those two were usually attached at the mouth.

-

Theo yawned, placing his empty bowl into the sink and scratching the itch that lingered upon his bare chest. The red letters upon the digital clock on the oven displayed the time _09:23_ in harsh red numbers. It was approximately fifty-two minutes before the other occupant of the house finally rose from the deep slumber he lay in, since the older Geyer’s had left for their respective jobs around an hour before. 

Lowering himself into one of the plush stools lining the kitchen’s counters, Theo retrieved his phone and was immediately met with a notification from ‘ **Brett T** ’. 

**Brett T (09:24):** We still on for today Raeken?? 

Which was then followed by another message. 

**Brett T (09:24):** Please don’t invite Liam, I want to hear the details on how on earth you managed to fall for the mutt and we obviously can’t do that if he’s clinging to your hip like he is every other hour of the day. :)

You’d think that after faking your own death and going into hiding for four months you would come out of it much more sensitive and aware of other’s feelings. But, that is definitely not the case with Brett Talbot- if anything the boy was as brash and teasing as ever. Though, he was the closest thing Theo had to a best friend (besides Liam, obviously) and the two instantly grew close due to their comparable knowledge of the supernatural and their similar interests and personalities as a whole. 

Theo shook his head and smirked, typing out a quick reply to the predictably relentless boy. 

**Theo (09:26):** Yes still coming and I will try to stop L from sneaking into my truck and joining our date. ;) 

**Brett T (09:26):** Wow a date?? Didn’t realise you felt that way about me Raeken. 

Theo laughed and was about to type out an equally sarcastic reply when he picked up the sound of feet padding down the staircase, before they made their way into the kitchen to join Theo. 

“What’re you laughing about?” Liam slurred in a soft voice, obviously having woken up only a matter of minutes ago- the oversized shirt and striped boxer shorts paired with messy hair further proved this point. 

He looked _beautiful_ , Theo decided. He didn’t bother hiding the fond smile as he looked at the boy and the grin Liam gave him in reply made it all worth it. 

“Just something funny Brett said.”

“Brett?” Liam frowned as he paused in the act of rubbing sleep from his eye, “Why are you talking to Brett?”

“What?” Theo raised his eyebrow snarkily, “You jealous?”

Liam spluttered and shook his head violently, “What? No! That’s ridiculous you can talk to whoever you want to.”

Theo just raised his eyebrow at him once again before vacating the stool and sauntering out of the room in the direction of the shower.

“If you really want to know I’m getting food with him today.” Theo paused, “And no you can’t come.”

Immediately, Theo heard a chorus of erratic footsteps leaving the kitchen and coming toward him- he turned around and as predicted Liam stood before him looking like a kicked puppy.

“Why?” Liam practically whined, elongating his speech and cocking his head to the side; further accentuating that kicked puppy look. 

“Because,” Theo shrugged casually, “You aren’t invited.” 

And at that Theo entered the bathroom, shutting and locking the door in Liam’s face who immediately let out a string of protests. Theo just grinned before making use of the shower before him. 

-

The place Brett chose for them to meet at was a dingy little diner located in an alcove at the edge of the preserve. Although the born-wolf had maintained his boisterous personality- his confidence took a hit and he usually tended to hide away, sticking to the confines of their exclusive group in fear of another run-in with the hunters. Theo wasn’t at all surprised. He probably wouldn’t have returned to the town if it were him, but that was probably just the self-preservation, quite literally, drilled into him by the doctors talking. 

The drive was short and began not longer after Theo’s conversation with Liam, who he had successfully managed to evade due to the annual Sunday morning lacrosse practice he had begrudgingly left to attend without his usual ride from Theo. 

Brett was already seated and had ordered food when Theo pushed through the entrance to the diner. The place was just as dodgy as the outer decor, it seemed to follow a retro-theme which hadn’t been changed at least since the 80s- that’s what the smell of the leather chairs adorning every booth told him anyway. Scrunching his nose to clear the smell, he made his way over to where Brett sat and kicked his foot as he settled into the seat opposite him. 

Brett jumped causing his phone to fall onto the table harshly, Theo snorted and took a testing sip of the drink before him. Strawberry milkshake- perfect. 

“Hey, you got my order right?”

Brett raised his eyebrows, and swiftly kicked Theo back after fully composing himself, “'Course I did man, we have met like this at least five times and you order the same thing every time.” 

Theo shrugged and twisted his mouth, he wasn’t used to people remembering small anecdotes like that about him. Having a real friend was nice, he decided. 

“Hey,” Brett chided, breaking him out of his train of thought, “None of that existential shit around me, alright? Yes I remembered your order, it is no big deal.”

“Sorry,” Theo chuckled nervously, “S’just nice to have a friend like that...you know?”

Brett mirrored Theo’s earlier action and shrugged, “I wouldn’t know- I’m way too popular to not have a friend at all times.”

Theo laughed again whilst he reached across the table and shoved at Brett’s shoulder, who then immediately moved back with his hands raised beside his head. 

“Woah, don’t attack me man. Eat the food I bought you. It's already been sat there for a good ten minutes,” Brett shoved a curly fry into his mouth, “I would’ve waited for you but I didn’t feel like eating cold food today.”

“Dick,” Theo muttered under his breath before quickly looking down at his food, which upon further investigation- was not as fresh as it could be. 

After a few moments of the boys enjoying the food on their respective plate, Brett spoke up, “So, are we going to talk about what I mentioned in the text or no?”

“What did we talk about in the text?”

“Don’t play dumb with me Raeken.”

“No, tell me Talbot?” Theo grinned cheekily, grabbing one of Brett’s fries and shoving it into his mouth. 

Brett rolled his eyes, swatting away Theo’s hands that reached out for another fry, “Your boyfriend, idiot. You know? Dumbar.”

Theo paused, allowing a fry to dangle between his fingers, “Yeah...he isn’t my boyfriend.”

“Not yet.”

“Not yet?” Theo guffawed, “Brett, I don’t even know if he likes guys.”

Brett howled with laughter at that, clutching his sides and giggling in that silly way you do when someone says something hilarious. 

“Did I say something funny?”

“I’m sorry,” Brett slapped his hand down on the table before continuing, “It’s just- of course Liam likes guys.”

“What?” Theo inquired, leaning forward slightly, “Did he tell you himself?”

“Well...no,” Brett hesitated, obviously deep in thought, “But he just gives off that vibe, you know?”

“Not really,” Theo winced. 

“Whatever,” Brett waved his hand dismissively, “So what’s the game plan?”

“Game plan?”

“Yeah,” Brett replied as if it were obvious, “Like how are you going to make him your boyfriend?”

Theo grimaced, running a hand over his face. That exact question had been running throughout his mind for months now. _How was he going to make Liam his boyfriend?_ Theo had very little knowledge when it came to Liam’s love life. He knew that he hadn’t publicly dated anyone since Hayden, but that could mean that he was seeing someone in secret or even worse, he was still hung up on the girl and was ready to hunt for her as soon as he realised her whereabouts. 

“I don’t know.” Theo sighed, feeling defeated. 

Brett hummed before inquiring, “I mean you could text him?”

“Text him?” Theo repeated slowly, “but I do that literally every day.”

“No,” Brett replied frustratedly, running a hand over his face as he tried to articulate his thoughts, “I mean like, I don’t know, buy a cheap phone and pretend to be his secret admirer or something?”

"Or something?" Theo gave Brett an incredulous look, "Are you insane? That is the worst idea I have ever heard and you don't want to know some of the ideas I've thought of." 

"Is it really though? I mean see it as an outlet, you get to express your feelings to Liam whilst he has no idea that it's you therefore meaning you can't get rejected. Win-win." Brett grinned as he leaned back in the booth and took a sip of his milkshake. 

"But it's really creepy though." 

"Nothing new for you then," Brett muttered, earning him a glare from Theo, "Come on, what is the worst that could happen?" 

Theo waved his hands in the air, "Everything. He could still reject me, he could block the number as soon as he receives the message, he might not even rep-" 

"Okay stop. That's enough," Brett interrupted, "God, you're starting to sound like Liam himself with all this worrying-" Another glare from Theo, "-Just try it Theo. You can drive down to the tech shop at the edge of town once we are done, get a cheap phone, type in Liam's number and _boom_ the job is done." 

Theo sighed, cracking his knuckles and looking away nervously, "Alright." 

"Alright?" Brett sat up again, a bright grin gracing his features. 

"Yeah man," Theo nodded, laughing lightly in a few short bursts of breath, "I'm still trying to figure out whether you're joking or not." 

"Well," Brett began, holding in a laugh as he did, "I kind of was at first but then it actually began to sound like a good idea." Theo smirked and threw a now lukewarm fry at his head, though his actions held no malice, "Alright, _alright_ , no violence. Eat your fries so then you can go and get your man." 

Theo laughed brightly as Brett wiggled his eyebrows, and at that moment Theo decided that, _maybe_ , he was actually happy with his life right now. 

-

The last time Theo purchased a phone like this that would only serve one purpose, he had just entered Beacon Hills with the dread doctors. They had requested he get one- something that wasn’t too complex and wouldn’t be tracked easily. 

Standing in the same shop he had stood in just a few years before was weird, this time he had friends and family, a pack that he was working to earn a place in. He had a purpose that didn’t involve slaving away for the people who had groomed and manipulated him as a child. He wasn’t buying this phone to cover his tracks, he was buying it to express his feelings towards the guy he liked, for god's sake. 

He wanted the job to be quick, he grabbed the cheapest phone he saw- a shitty flip-phone that looked older than himself and left the shop immediately. It would have to do, Theo didn’t even know if Liam would reply. It was worth a try though; Theo decided that creating different scenarios on what may or may not happen was not helping to calm his nerves in any way.

Theo released a heavy breath through his nose before opening up the phone and slamming the truck door shut behind him. It was a quick process, and soon enough he was staring at the bright ‘Add new contact’ feature. Luckily, he had Liam’s number engraved into his memory- due to him learning it off by heart in case of emergency. Liam had been his only trusted companion for a while and he hadn’t been too fond of getting kidnapped by hunters and being rescued by the likes of Malia, or worse- Stiles. 

Don’t get it wrong, Theo was definitely on much better terms with the pack he had once infiltrated. But, that didn’t mean things weren’t awkward. During pack nights, the ones that weren’t puppy pack exclusive, Theo found himself sitting in whatever single armchair was available whilst the likes of Argent or the sheriff watched over him with a hand secure on their respective holster. Liam had assured him on multiple occasions that no one was planning on ‘blowing his brains out’. Despite the affection Theo felt for Liam, he still tended to stay quiet during annual pack meetings. 

-  


Theo eventually made it home and as he settled onto the bed in the guest room of the Geyer-Dunbar residence, Theo pulled the black cylinder from his pocket. The object had been practically weighing him down. Not only from the sheer weight of it, but also what it represented. This phone meant that Theo would be expressing the feelings he had been trying so desperately to hide ever since the first bloom of heat filled his belly. 

He stared at the object, daring it to make a sound or do something that would stop him from committing such a reckless act. Theo was completely out of his depth, his usually coordinated mind was empty. Theo liked to plan, he liked to be organised and he liked to know what was going to happen next. But this was the first time in a while that he had felt so _blind_. It was the first time since, well, he had quite literally been dragged from hell. 

At that thought, Theo opened the phone and typed in a number before typing a message and sending it almost immediately after. An action that would change his life. 

**Unknown (13:56):** Hey. 

And then only mere seconds after Theo sent that message. 

**Liam (13:56):** Hey..who is this?


	2. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Theo worries, a lot, but it all ends out fine. 
> 
> _Theo loved moments like this. Moments where it was just the two of them, nobody to interrupt them whilst Liam smiled at him in that gorgeous and unguarded way._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

When Theo was first dragged from hell, it had taken him a while to integrate back into the everyday life of the Mccall pack. He had spent months in a place where necessities weren’t needed, where time wasn’t even a concept. It had just been him, his sister and the guilt that had sat like a dead weight at the bottom of his belly every time he awoke. 

_Oh_ , the guilt. 

The guilt had hurt almost as much as Tara ripping his heart out over and over again. But he didn’t necessarily feel guilt over those he had murdered, all the lives he had ruined and the relationships he had ripped apart. He felt guilt for the person he had let himself become. Theo went from being the carefree young boy who spent all of his free time on a skateboard; to being a test-subject trained to manipulate and kill. He mourned for the life he had lost in a matter of moments. 

So when Theo went from that to being hauled straight out of the earth and shoved into a pair of handcuffs. He watched as the remains of the Mccall pack figured out what to do with the latest supernatural threat. 

He watched as they figured out what to do with _him._

So over a year later when Theo received that message from Liam- he had that same feeling again. Because what the hell was he supposed to do now?

 **Liam (13:56)** : Hey..who is this?

The words mocked him. The small, intricate way the letters formed due to the outdated phone glared at him as he hovered his thumbs over the keyboard pathetically. 

He could pass this off as a joke, a silly prank he was planning to play on Liam and that his response had ruined it. He could reveal his name and the two could laugh about it, all the while Theo would go back to harbouring his feelings and he would hide like he had for months. But, he couldn’t do that. Brett knew about the plan, hell, he had formulated it. Next time they met Brett would ask about it and Theo wasn’t sure he could handle the humiliation of having to admit that he’d backed down. 

After thinking about it for a number of moments, Theo typed out a reply. 

**Unknown (14:03)** : does it matter?

 **Liam (14:03)** : Yes, it does. Who are you?

Damn, since when had Liam been so formal when sending texts? His texts usually consisted of a number of emojis or abbreviations, a keyboard smash if he wanted to express his humour towards something. Though, Theo supposed, that was when Liam was texting Theo’s actual number or the ridiculous number of group chats they had been added to- not a random number. 

**Liam (14:04)** : Hello?? Answer me. 

**Unknown (14:04)** : what if I don't want you to know?

 **Liam (14:05)** : Then that’s just creepy. 

Yeah, Theo thought, that’s exactly what he had said to Brett. 

**Unknown (14:05)** : What if I want it to be a secret :(

 **Liam (14:05)** : Why?? I’m kind of freaked out right now, how did you get my number??

Shit. 

Theo scratched his eyebrow anxiously, the feeling of being completely out of his depth was yet to subside. He hadn’t wanted to scare or worry Liam, he had just wanted to talk to him. He supposed he expected Liam to act exactly the same as he usually was when texting. At least he had some form of awareness though, Theo was proud of Liam on that front. 

**Unknown (14:06)** : I’m sorry! Please don’t be freaked out!! I got your number from a friend 

**Unknown (14:06)** : I mean you could say i'm your secret admirer or whatever

 **Liam (14:08)** : wait,, holy shit really?

 **Unknown (14:09)** : yeah??

 **Liam (14:09)** : you’re serious?? I’m sorry its just no ones seen me in that way for a long time 

Theo shook his head, he really was that oblivious. 

Theo knew he wasn’t the only one with feelings for Liam Dunbar. Hell, he wouldn’t be surprised if he woke up one day to a line outside of the house full of contenders for the beta’s heart. Liam was kind, funny, selfless and always put the needs of others before his own. Not to forget he was hot as fuck. Liam was everything anyone could ever want in a partner. Everything Theo could ever want in a partner. Theo decided to express this thought into his next message. 

**Unknown (14:10)** : You’re joking right? So many people like you??

 **Liam (14:11)** : Funny. My last girlfriend literally left me out of the blue in the middle of a crisis. 

**Liam (14:11)** : No idea why I'm unloading that onto a complete stranger. Sorry. 

**Unknown (14:11)** : Don’t be...what if I told you I'm not a complete stranger though??

 **Liam (14:11)** : Great! Which one of the assholes in my classes are you then?

 **Liam (14:11)** : Wait. are you a boy or a girl??

_Fuckfuckfuckfuck._

Fuck. 

Theo slammed the phone shut and threw it down onto the bed. This is exactly what he had been afraid of. He dug the heels of his palms into his eyes and just breathed. He had made many mistakes in his life but, god, this was probably the biggest. Releasing a heavy outtake of breath from his nose, Theo decided he would just have to stop this now. Whilst he still could.

Yeah, it was a perfect idea, he would open up the phone and delete any traces of the conversation ever happeni- 

Before Theo could formulate and follow through with any form of a plan, the door to his room was flung open and a familiar figure stormed in. Theo jumped- scurrying to shove the phone beneath his pillow before the evidence of his mistakes was found by the reason himself. 

“You’re taking me to get ice cream.” Liam demanded, giving him a weird look as he scurried around. 

“What?” Theo breathed in a flustered manner. He was awkwardly perched on the side of the bed beside the pillow hiding the phone. 

“I said, you are taking me to get ice cream,” Liam said in that way you would speak to young children, “I need to talk to someone about something and everyone else is busy so let’s go.”

“Glad to know I’m your last resort,” Theo grumbled as Liam threw a semi-clean hoodie at him, “I’ll meet you in the car.”

Liam left the room at that, allowing Theo to let out a violent breath as he allowed himself to breath. He had to be more discreet about this, Liam had a tendency to barge into his room uninvited and doing so to find him texting on a phone he didn’t usually frequent would be quite incriminating. 

Well, Theo thought as he descended the stairs towards the front door, at least he didn’t have to send that text yet. 

-  
“It’s just so weird,” Liam exclaimed as he settled into the plastic chair opposite Theo, placing two ice creams onto the table as he did. 

“What is?” Theo inquired innocently, hoping that this ‘weird’ thing Liam was talking about was something else. 

Liam huffed, a frown etching itself onto his face as he toyed with the plastic spoon connected to his ice cream. He stayed like this for a few seconds before slowly stating, “Someone messaged me.”

“Okay?” Theo replied, clearing his throat in an attempt to dissipate the nerves that filled him, “What’s so bad about that?”

Liam’s mouth twisted as he dropped his spoon into the tub. Theo placed a comforting hand on his arm, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“They…” Liam paused, lifting his head up and making eye contact with Theo, “They claim to be my secret admirer.”

Theo gulped slowly, picking up on the fact that Liam was watching him for a reaction. He quickly made use of the acting skills he had known since his pre-teen years, widening his eyes and laughing in a shocked manner, “Really, that is so weird!”

“Yeah,” Liam sighed, seeming content with his reaction, “I know right.”

“You don’t seem too happy about it.”

Liam raised an eyebrow at him, “Why would I be? What if it's some creepy old woman out looking for some fresh meat.” Liam growled quietly at him as Theo let out a genuine laugh this time, “Hey! Stop laughing at me it isn’t funny, I’m being serious.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just-” Theo let out a few soft snorts as he continued, “You worry too much. Have you considered that someone is genuinely expressing their feelings for you?”

Liam just gave him a look and shoved a large spoonful of ice cream into his mouth, “Yeah, the woman out looking for fresh meat.”

“Liam.”

“Alright, Alright. No I didn’t consider it because people don’t have feelings for people like me.”

“People like you?” Theo repeated as he felt his eyebrows climbing his forehead, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”  


“You know?” Theo shook his head, causing Liam to sigh, “Werewolves, guys who suffer from an IED and also guys that are shorter than average.”

“Liam-” Theo frowned. 

“No, Theo don’t,” Liam leant back, turning his head away from Theo’s attempt at eye contact, “People don’t want to date the guy that could explode at any minute, both metaphorically and literally.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Liam just shook his head, turning his focus onto the now-melting ice cream before him. Theo scrunched up his eyebrows before saying, “Liam, if it’s the right person who or what you are shouldn’t matter to them. They should accept you for who you are, if they don’t they aren’t worth it.”

Liam looked up at that- a genuine, beautiful smile spread across his face. His teeth glinted in the pearly lights of the cafe they sat in. Theo loved moments like this. Moments where it was just the two of them, nobody to interrupt them whilst Liam smiled at him in that gorgeous and unguarded way. 

“Thanks Theo.”

“No problem,” Theo grinned before saying, “Though you weren’t wrong about the being shorter than average thing, some girls do like guys that are taller than them.”

Liam giggled, he manouvered himself so that he could connect his foot with Theo’s ankle beneath the table, “Asshole, you aren’t even that much taller than me.”

Theo trapped Liam’s foot between his own ankles before winking and replying, “Whatever helps you sleep at night, _Little Wolf._ ”

As soon as the nicknames left Theo’s mouth he began to howl with laughter, Liam just glared right back at him, “I told you not to call me that.”

“I know, I know,” Theo waved his hand dismissively as he chuckled, “It’s just amusing to see your reaction is all.”

“Whatever, idiot.” Liam responded bashfully, and then that smile was back. 

Theo looked at him then. Like really looked at him. At the way his cheeks held a slight pink hue from Theo’s teasing. Or at how his stupidly long hair curled at the nape of his neck and framed his face. Or at how the beacon hills sweatshirt he wore was just slightly too big on him and how he would pull the cuffs up to cover his hands from time to time only to tug it right back down again. Or how his eyes drooped ever so slightly from the lack of sleep due to the usual load of schoolwork or stand-in-alpha duties. Theo smiled back then and flicked a spoonful of ice cream at him- if it was his way of hearing Liam’s laugh again, nobody had to know. 

On days like these, the guilt and responsibility that tended to sit on Theo’s shoulders would fade away for just a few hours. 

-

Eventually, they did have to leave the blissful setting they had settled into as responsibilities that usually came with a late-Sunday afternoon seeped in. Theo headed towards the kitchen for an actual meal of sustenance whilst Liam headed to his room to do some last minute homework. 

As he put together a messy bowl of pasta, his thoughts drifted back to the text from earlier- which therefore caused him to realise that he hadn’t checked the phone since shoving it beneath the pillow hours earlier. He ran to grab it so that he could dwell on it over a good plate of food. 

Once the phone was in hand he quickly descended the stairs, opening it to check for any new messages. 

**Liam (14:13)** : Hey? What did I say about answering me. :(

That must’ve been sent just before Liam barged into Theo’s room, during his mini breakdown in other words. There was only one other text that had been sent since then, it coming in probably around the time they had been making their way back in Theo’s truck. 

**Liam (17:02)** : Are you good? I’m sorry if I overstepped any boundaries. 

**Unknown (17:46)** : Nah you’re good, was just out. 

**Liam (17:46)** : oh, cool. 

**Liam (17:47)** : Are you going to answer my question then?

That sneaky bastard, Theo threw a glare up to the ceiling above him. 

**Unknown (17:47)** : Do I have to?

 **Liam (17:48)** : Well yeah? I’d like to have a vague idea of who I’m going to be talking to. 

Upon receiving that message Theo overheard a trail of footsteps heading towards the upstairs bathroom. Liam must be heading to the shower. Well, better now than never. 

**Unknown (17:50)** : Fine. I’m a guy. 

**Unknown (17:50)** : Feel free to block this number I guess. 

Theo turned back to his pasta, toying with his fork for a few moments. If this went as he feared and Liam turned out to be straight, he’d get over it. Sure, it would take a while and he would be pretty fucking devastated over what could have been. But him and Liam would continue to be friends and he would move on with the first person to take interest in him at Sinema. Yeah- he managed to convince himself- that would be great. 

About ten minutes after Theo sent the messages, he heard Liam leave the bathroom and enter his bedroom. There was a few minutes of silence and then- 

**Liam (18:01)** : Jesus. You’re a fucking idiot. 

**Liam (18:02)** : I’m not going to block this number and if it makes you feel any better, I’m bi. 

**Liam (18:02)** : I can’t believe the first person I come out to is some stranger over text. 

_Holy shit._

-

 _"Curiosity becomes a heavy load_  
_Too heavy to hold_  
_Will force you to be cold"_  
_\- Do me a favour, Arctic Monkeys_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I didn't expect to get this out for another day or two but this afternoon I got a sudden urge to write and here is the outcome!
> 
> By the way, when describing the way Liam smiles at Theo- a good reference is when Liam smiles at Mason during the lacrosse match in season 4 episode 5.
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


	3. Let's get drunk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jenna Geyer makes an appearance and Theo and Alec commit some illegal acts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy! :)

_I’m not going to block this number and if it makes you feel any better, I’m bi._

_If it makes you feel any better, I’m bi._

_I’m bi._

Liam’s text rang through his mind that night- constantly reminding himself of the fact that Liam liked boys. Liam possibly liked him. The thought made Theo shiver, both with excitement and pure, animalistic want. 

Despite this, it was probably the best night’s sleep Theo had experienced in a long time. The trauma and insecurities that usually chased sleep away were kept at bay and silenced. So that’s how Theo found himself cooking breakfast for the entire household the next morning. 

“Morning Theo,” Mrs Geyer grinned, sauntering into the kitchen with an empty glass and a stack of what he assumed was mail, “You’re up early and making us breakfast, how kind of you.”

Theo smiled at her goofily whilst flipping an egg, turning as she went to place her glass in the kitchen’s dishwasher, “It’s no problem Mrs Geyer.”

“Jenna,” She reprimanded, pointing a nearby wooden spoon at him, “You call me Jenna, okay? Mrs Geyer makes me feel old and posh.”

“Sorry Jenna,” Theo looked down and smirked bashfully, turning his attention back to the food, “Since you are the first one here I guess you can be the first to be fed.”

Jenna gigged, settling into the plush stool adjacent to the one Theo had settled into just a day before and started opening the stack of mail. She watched as Theo filled her plate with food and thanked him as he did, “So Theo, how is school going? I know you’ve been there a few months already but I know repeating can be hard for some.”

Theo shrugged, repeating a year meant he was surrounded by Liam and the rest of the puppy pack, “It’s fine honestly,” Jenna nodded as she cut into a slice of bacon, “Although I am repeating, I did manage to remember some content from when I was actually attending school so this portion of the year has been smooth sailing.”

“That’s wonderful,” Jenna beamed, seeming genuinely proud of Theo, “I know you’ve been through many rough patches but I just want you to know we’re proud of you Theo.”

Theo pursed his lips, grinning brightly before questioning, “We’re?”

“Me, David, Liam and the rest of the Mccall pack Theo, I know I don’t know the whole story but I know the pack are proud of the progress you’ve made.”

Theo snorted, “I wouldn’t say the entire pack.”

Jenna frowned, placing down her cutlery and reaching across the counter to take a hold of Theo’s hand, “Maybe not, but they will be- they’ll be proud of what you’ve done eventually. I promise.”

“Thankyou Jenna, for everything.”

Jenna just hummed and shrugged her shoulders, clearing up her plate before walking over and smacking a wet kiss onto Theo’s cheek and taking a hold of his face in her hands, “Of course,” Then she released him from her hold and began to head out of the kitchen, “I have to head off to work, I trust that you boys will behave and get to school on time.” Before Theo could shout back a reply the small, blonde woman was out of the door before she had even finished. 

Theo ran a hand through his hair- he loved Jenna, he really did, with his whole heart in fact. Her, Liam and Dr.Geyer had managed to pick up the pieces of his shattered life and place them back together without even knowing it. Agreeing to stay with Liam around a month after the demise of the Anuk-ite and the hunters was probably the best choice of his life. He went from living alone in his truck, enduring freezing cold nights with nothing but an empty belly to comfort him, to a warm bed and a whole family who welcomed him in as if he were one of their own. Some, including himself, would say he doesn’t deserve it- but at this point Theo decided to ignore that and focus on being eternally thankful for the family who gave him everything. 

Theo quickly served up two plates of food and placed the rest into a container for Dr.Geyer to heat up later on, Theo was desperate to get some food inside of him before heading off to school- working with an empty stomach was never enjoyable and he had learnt that the hard way with one to many late mornings. 

As Theo settled down to eat, Liam stumbled into the kitchen and grimaced at the light shining in through the room’s windows. Theo frowned, taking note of the way that the skin lining Liam’s eyes was dark and slightly swollen- a usual result of lack of sleep. This confused Theo as the two had only stopped texting at around 9:30 (after Theo had actually managed to grow a pair and hold a somewhat comfortable game of 20 questions that didn’t get too intrusive) meaning that Liam didn’t necessarily have anything keeping him awake. 

“You okay?” Theo asked, though the sincerity was there he asked it around a mouthful of toast.

“I’m fine.” Liam snipped, not giving much of a reply before grabbing his plate and shoving a mouthful of food into his mouth. 

“You sure?” Theo gestured to Liam’s current demeanour and appearance, “The fact that you're not talking my ear off right now says otherwise.”

Liam glared at Theo before shoving his half-eaten plate back, “I said I’m fine.”

Theo furrowed his eyebrows, what the hell?

 _Ah,_ Theo thought as a memory of a process he had also gone through dawned upon him. A few weeks after Theo moved in with Liam, he and Brett had decided to steal some vodka from the bar Theo worked at and some of Deaton’s wolfsbane in order to get drunk. Long story short, they had drank a lot and eventually found themselves laid on their backs in one of the clearings in the preserve. 

“Why are the trees spinning?” Brett had slurred, his eyes crossing slightly as he pointed above him. 

Theo just laughed obnoxiously, flicking his claws in and out as any control he usually held diminished. After a few minutes, Theo turned on his side and watched as Brett stared up at the sky before huffing out, “I’m so jealous of you.”

Brett laughed in the same way Theo had, taking a swig of vodka and grimacing as he did so, “Why?”

“Because you’re so,” Theo waved his hands in Brett’s vicinity before rolling onto his back once again, “Confident.”

“Well when you look the way I do-”

“No,” Theo hiccuped whilst shaking his head violently which caused his already unruly hair to become mussed up at the back, “I mean like, the way you are when dating people.”

“When dating people....” Brett repeated, furrowing his eyebrows into a look that conveyed pure confusion, “You mean I’m confident with my bisexuality?”

“Yeah,” Theo mumbled, his tongue suddenly feeling very heavy, “Yeah.”

“Theo-” Brett looked towards him, “Are you…?”

Theo sniffed, the alcohol clouded any form of coherence he had left, “Gay, yeah.”

“Holy shit,” Brett said wistfully, the confession seemed to sober him up, “Good for you man.” Theo replied by taking an especially strong gulp of vodka before Brett continued, “So who made you realise, wait don’t tell me, was it me?”

“No.” Theo snorted loudly before going quiet, obviously trying to remember who it was, “Oh, it was Li-am.”

“Liam?!” Brett shot up, turning to look at Theo, “Liam as in Liam Dunbar?”

The rest of the night after that was a haze filled with more vodka and was completely blank between the timespan of his coming out and the moment he collapsed into bed- though, the next morning was a vivid memory. He remembered waking up and feeling nothing but anger at himself for letting out such a sacred secret without a second thought. He wasn’t ashamed and he wasn’t scared of being outed, Brett was obviously bisexual himself and would presumably understand exactly how Theo felt and would keep quiet. But Theo couldn’t help but feel enraged, he had wanted the moment to be tender and heartfelt, not a big drunk joke. So, Theo understood and picked up on Liam’s change in mood quickly- once again feeling bad about the choices he had made in the last 24 hours. 

“Hey uh-” Theo chewed on his lip, attempting to think of anything that would make Liam feel better , “Do you want to drive my truck today?”

Liam looked up then as suspicion was clear on his features, “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Theo shrugged, continuing to chew on his lip, “You seem upset and I know that usually makes you feel happy so...Yeah?”

“Fine.” Liam huffed before pausing and letting out a slight smile as colour filled his cheeks, “Thanks.”

-

As both Theo and Liam pushed through the doors of the school, Mason met them beside the lockers; grimacing as he caught sight of his best friend’s appearance. “What the hell crawled up your ass and died there?”

“Very funny Mason.” Liam rolled his eyes, running a hand through his dishevelled hair. 

“No. I’m being serious,” Mason grabbed Liam by the shoulders and made direct eye contact with him, “How much sleep did you get?”

“Enough,” Liam growled and attempted to move out of Mason’s tight hold and heavy eye contact, “I’m fine.”

The constant repetition of that phrase caused Theo to snort obnoxiously, causing the two to look at him, “That’s what you keep saying, but you aren’t exactly proving it.”

“Shut up Theo,” Liam snapped, finally shaking off Mason’s hold and stalking towards his locker. 

Mason turned to Theo then- his eyebrows were furrowed worriedly, “Did something happen?”

Theo just shrugged, making sure he appeared as innocent and unknowing as possible, “Nothing that I know of, maybe he’s worried about a test.” Which, quite honestly, was a stupid thing to say as exams hadn’t even started yet.

Mason just looked at him dubiously, scanning his face before shrugging and walking off to his class. He didn’t even check whether Theo was following before exclaiming, “Probably.”

-

By lunch Liam seemed to have sobered out of his angry haze, sitting down and immediately stole one of Nolan’s fries who in return squawked out a protest. Liam just grinned as he chewed on his fry lazily, glancing at each member of the table. Theo and Mason made immediate eye contact, both of their respective eyebrows raised in turn. 

“What?” Liam inquired, pausing in his venture to now steal some of Corey’s lunch. 

“Someone seems a lot more cheerful than this morning.” Theo mused, batting Liam’s wandering hands away from his own lunch. 

Liam paused then as he eyed Theo cautiously, “I wasn’t in a bad mood this morning?” Which caused both Theo and Mason to huff out a laugh, “What?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just-” Mason chuckled, gesturing towards Liam, “You were about ready to explode this morning.”

“No I wasn’t,” Liam scowled as the members of the table who had experienced Liam’s mood chuckled to themselves, “I was just running on a lack of sleep that’s all.”

“Oh, so what about when-”

“Okay, okay,” Corey interjected, always the peacemaker, “If Liam was in a bad mood that’s fine, it happens to all of us sometimes,” Corey grinned before sending a pointed look towards Theo, “If we want to talk about being moody then what about that day after Theo got super drunk with Brett?” Which in return caused the whole table to fall into a fit of laughter, minus Liam and Theo. 

“Wait,” Liam said confused, “When did you get drunk with Brett?”

Theo scratched his eyebrow, he’d hoped Liam wouldn’t find out as he knew the beta would decide that him and Theo should do the same. “A couple of months ago, we stole some wolfsbane and vodka.”

Liam spluttered at that, “You knew how to get drunk this whole time? You know I’ve always wanted to do that.”

“Yeah, doesn’t mean it's a good idea.”

“Theo,” Liam whined before a look of determination settled over his face, “We should get drunk on Friday night.”

“What?” Theo laughed, looking at everyone for support on how dumb of an idea it was- he was met with looks of interest, “Wait, you’re serious?”

“Yes!” Liam cheered, “You and Alec could steal some alcohol whilst Mason and Corey could steal some wolfsbane from Deaton for the werewolves here.”

“What about you, Nolan and Brett?” Alec interjected, a little twitchy over the thought of having to steal.

“Uh-” Liam began, “We’ll get snacks because our parents will literally murder us if we get caught stealing.” Which Nolan nodded enthusiastically and quite relieved at.

“And we all know Brett is way too lazy.” Nolan smirked, referring to the boy who was currently running some drills on the lacrosse field.

“Liam? You do realise I live in your house right,” Theo waved his hands about trying to deflect Liam’s excuse, “Your parents will kill me too.”

“No, they won’t,” Liam said as if it were obvious, “They are obsessed with you.”

“True.” Mason inputted unhelpfully.

Theo sighed, rubbing his hand over the skin between his eyebrows slowly. There was nothing that was necessarily bad about being drunk, it was fun and gave Theo the release that he sometimes needed. But, being drunk meant that the walls Theo carefully built up and maintained would be knocked down without any warning. There were a number of things he did not want to reveal to the group, Liam especially. 

“You know what,” Theo sighed again, dismissing any thoughts that circulated his mind, “Let's do it.”

-

They all made plans and made sure their schedules were clear for Friday night, exactly as Liam had suggested. Theo and Alec would go to the local gas station and would swipe a few bottles of whatever they fancied. Sadly, Theo did not have the leisure of working in a bar this time around as he had quit the job in order to focus on school- Jenna’s orders, obviously. They would go at 6 PM, as Theo had noted that was when the employee changeover usually took place so focus on the main area of the store would be non-existent. Meanwhile, Mason and Corey had the much easier job of turning invisible and sneaking into Deaton’s around the same time. He usually left the back door unlocked in case any supernatural creatures needed urgent attention, so Corey and Mason would enter and exit through there. The plan was simple and soon enough they would have the supplies needed. 

Well, Theo _thought_ it would be simple. 

Theo gripped his truck’s steering wheel tightly, listening as Alec once again whimpered in fear, “What if we get caught Theo? Oh god we are gonna get caught. Scott will kill me.”

“Not if he kills me first,” Theo rolled his eyes, “We’ll be fine.”

“What? No, Theo I’m not joking.”

“Neither was I,” Theo gritted out, “I said we’ll be fine.”

Alec slunk down into the passenger seat at that, choosing to pick at his nails and stare out of the window until they arrived. Eventually, they pulled into the station’s parking lot. As soon as the car pulled to a stop Theo unbuckled his seat belt and turned to him. 

“Okay, listen to me. I know this isn’t a huge stakeout but I need you to pay attention as I really don’t feel like spending the night in a cell,” Alec nodded timidly, giving Theo all his attention, “Alright. Follow my lead and don’t give anything away with your body language.”

At that, Theo got out of the car and strolled towards the building with his hands in his pockets- listening as he heard Alec run after him clumsily. He pushed open the door and held it open for Alec, smiling at the girl behind the register as she packed up her stuff.

“I’m just about to leave,” She smiled sadly, “I’m technically off shift now so is it okay if you grab what you need and wait a minute or two for the night shift to come?”

Theo just grinned in reply, bingo, “Of course, the movies we downloaded can wait a minute or two longer can’t they Al?”

“Of course,” Alec croaked, smiling nervously towards the girl who was now leaving, “Yeah.”

“Great,” She stopped at the door before exclaiming, “Have a nice night boys!”

As soon as she was in her car and pulling out onto the road Theo laughed gleefully, “How did we get so lucky and how was she so stupid?”

Alec just laughed with the same level of glee in return, his eyes even sparkled slightly, “I have no idea. Let’s grab the stuff and go before the worker gets here.”

Theo did not have to be told twice and soon they were sprinting towards the truck with a collection of bottles tucked beneath their shirts.

-

“We bring the goods!” Alec yelled as he and Theo entered Mason’s living room (whose parents were out of town), causing everyone to cheer loudly in return. Brett and Mason stood up from their seats on the couch and took the drinks into the kitchen in order to prepare the necessary concoction. 

“How the hell did you manage to do it so quickly?” Liam laughed, throwing his arms around Theo as soon as his hands were free.

“The woman at the register was kind enough to leave us alone in the shop during the staff changeover,” Theo breathed, slightly surprised by Liam’s assault. 

“Wait,” Liam pulled back to look into Theo’s eyes, “Isn’t there cameras?”

Everyone but Theo froze at that, Alec let out a terrified, “Shit.”

But, Theo just smirked widely as he let out a chuckle- somewhat easing the tension as everyone looked at him in confusion, “I took care of them a couple of days ago, don’t worry.”

Everyone huffed out a relieved breath then, watching as Liam threw his arms around Theo again, “You are way too smart for us Raeken, I swear.”

Theo smiled into Liam’s shoulder as his hair tickled his cheeks. He met eyes with Brett over Liam’s shoulder who gave him an annoyingly knowing look as he re-entered the room with open bottles in his hand. Though, he didn’t mention anything- he just held the bottles in the air and exclaimed, “Let’s get started!”

-

An hour or two later, Theo was feeling pleasantly buzzed. A dopey smile painted his face constantly as he sat sprawled out on the floor in between Brett and Liam. Buzzed was not quite the word that could be said the same about the latter though. Liam’s eyes were glassy and he kept breaking out into song at random intervals- though for his second or third time getting drunk he had carried himself pretty well. 

Theo snorted as Mason told yet another funny story from his and Liam’s childhood, “-And then Liam stepped right onto a slug with his bare feet!” The whole room howled with laughter and it only increased when Liam pouted and crossed his arms, obviously hoping to never relive such a memory.

“St- stop laughing at me!” Liam slurred, throwing his head back against the couch behind him, “It happened years ago and it was only a little gross.”

Mason cackled then, “You threw up straight after because of how slimy it felt.”

“No I didn-” Liam began to protest before his skin turned a shade of white, “I think I’m going to throw up.” Everyone watched as he grasped a hand over his mouth and made a beeline for the bathroom. They all grimaced as the tell tale sound of throwing up sounded throughout the room. The friends quickly jumped into separate conversations in order to mask the sound.

“So,” Brett nudged him, almost making the bottle attached to his mouth spill everywhere, “Have you made any progress since last Sunday?”

Theo took a proper swig of the alcohol then, burping and wiping his mouth as he did so, “I went through with the plan.”

“Seriously?” Brett giggled, nudging his friends once again, “That’s great, how is it going?”

Theo shrugged, “Fine.” 

Him and Liam had actually kept up solid conversation throughout the week ever since Liam had come out to him. They talked pretty much every night without fail, sharing small facts about each other as Liam began to see this unknown person as a friend. Theo enjoyed talking to this Liam. They were practically strangers, giving Theo the fresh start he wanted and the ability to talk about whatever he wanted without the fear of judgement. 

As Theo headed towards the kitchen in order to grab a fresh bottle, he felt the phone vibrate in his sweatpants pocket. 

**Liam (20:32):** heyy cool anonymoose friendxle

 **Unknown (20:33):** Hey :) Where’ve you been?

 **Liam (20:33):** Drunk 

Theo just laughed, of course Liam had grabbed his phone and decided to text him on the way back to the bathroom. 

**Unknown (20:33):** sounds fun ! 

**Liam (20:34):** yeahs..hey 

**Liam (20:34):** It’s confuzzle to message someoneee called unknown s o can you give me something beeter

 **Unknown (20:34):** Sure haha

Theo racked his admittedly drunk brain for something that Liam could change his contact to. 

**Unknown (20:35):** how about Liam’s boo

 **Liam (20:35):** no!!! Thats silly 

**Unknown (20:36):** How about secret bud

 **Liam (20:36):** Perfect. 

**Secret Bud (20:37):** :D


	4. One New Voicemail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam sent Theo a drunken confession and chaos ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait, hope you enjoy. :)

Theo groaned as the early morning sun shone into the room and reflected its rays right into his eyes. He screwed his eyes shut, feeling his enhanced healing begin to knit his aching brain back together. 

“What the fuck did we do last night?”

Theo opened his eyes, slightly started by the sudden noise, and met eyes with Mason who was curled up in a ball on the floor; with Corey plastered to his back still fast asleep. 

“Apparently,” Theo drawled as he blinked tiredly, “We drank a fuck-ton of alcohol and then passed out in your living room.”

“Right.” Mason closed his eyes as if it pained him to be awake, “What’s that smell?”

“Oh god,” Theo moaned, his nose becoming accustomed to said smell, “I remember watching Nolan throwing up in the sink last night.”

Both Theo and Mason sat up then, sucking in heavy breaths as they took in the state of the room. Theo was right, Nolan had thrown up in the sink. But he had also thrown up on the couch, floor and on himself- Theo grimaced at the boy who was sprawled out on the floor a few metres away from himself and Mason. The rest of the room was no different, empty and half-full bottles of alcohol alike were scattered throughout the room, a half-eaten pizza was on the table (when had they even ordered that?) and bags of crisps and sweets had also been ripped open and had their contents poured onto every surface. 

Oh god, this is going to take a while to clean up. 

“What am I gonna do?” Mason fretted, standing and stumbling around the room frantically to assess the damage, “My parents are coming home tonight.”

“Hey!” Theo snapped, feeling himself go dizzy every time Mason took another step and almost tripped over another set of legs, “Calm it. We’ll all help.”

“Thanks Theo.”

“It’s no problem,” Theo patted the pockets of his sweatpanta, noticing that neither of his phone’s are there, “Hey-- I’ll help you clean up in a minute, I need to go find my phone first.”

Mason just nodded mutely as he chewed on his nail and stared into the mess that was once his kitchen. Theo quickly scoured the living room and then the kitchen, neither of the phones were anywhere to be found. He jumped the stairs two at a time then and entered the bathroom, immediately spotting both his usual phone and the phone laid out on the counter. 

“Thank god.” He breathed, shoving one phone into his pocket and flipping the other one open- the messenger app had ‘9 Unread Messages’ attached to it. 

**Liam (21:45):** heyyy 

And then a voice note followed, Theo clicked on it tentatively and held the phone up to his ear.

“ _Heyy mystery man- shut up Mason I’m on the phone… no you can’t talk to them._ ” Theo heard a commotion in the background of the video before a door slammed shut, “ _Okay..I’m back and I’m really drunk right now so I was hoping that you would take pity in me and tell me who you are?_ ” There was a pause then, Liam did nothing but breathe heavily into the phone, “ _You know it's really weird...I mean why would anyone have feelings for me? You seem really funny as well-- You know, you kind of remind me of someone I know._ ” 

The voice note ends abruptly then, though it was followed by another that was sent only a few seconds later.

“ _Oh god I ended it...how am I going to tell them that I already have feelings for someone? Wait, is it recording again?!_ ”

Theo froze, snapping the phone shut and throwing it onto the counter before locking the door and crumpling down onto the closed toilet seat. Theo bowed his head and buried his hand into his messy hair. 

Liam has feelings for someone? _Shit._

A thick, disgusting bubble of jealousy sat at the pit of his stomach. Theo resisted the urge to throw up then, removing his hand from his hair and covering his mouth. This was bad, really bad. Sure; there was a wild chance that the person Liam was referring to was him but--

No. Theo shook his head and stood, bracing his arms against the sink and splashing water onto his face. He couldn’t do this, imagining and making scenarios was dangerous. It’s what got him into this mess in the first place. Theo stared into the mirror as water droplets dripped from his eyebrows- pre-hell Theo would be so disappointed. 

“Theo? Is that you in there?”

Water droplets splattered against the mirror as Theo spun towards the door- the sound of Liam’s tired but concerned voice feeling like a shock of electricity over his entire body. Fumbling around the bathroom in an attempt to clean up the mess he had created, Theo straightened his shirt and ran a hand through his knotted hair. 

“Uh- yeah. I’m in here.”

“Oh,” It sounded as if Liam was leaning against the door, “Well, are you alright?”

“Great. Just the usual hangover repercussions.”

“Ah, of course,” Liam sniffed audibly, “Well since Brett is pretty much the master of hangovers, he went out and got everyone breakfast. Come out whenever you’re ready.”

“Will do.” Theo groaned inwardly at his awkwardness before double checking that both phones were now secure in his pocket- he’d tackle the voice note issue later. Without a second thought he opened the door, thankfully Liam had headed out to the kitchen already- giving him a chance to compose himself and pretend that he hadn’t heard anything. He flushed the empty toilet and left the room. Yeah, the voice note issue could be tackled later.

Upon entering the kitchen, Theo noted that the group surrounding the table really did look quite pathetic. Each pack member that didn’t have the additional healing were slumped in their chairs, dragging a fork full of food into their mouth at the same rate as an undead creature. Though those sporting supernatural healing weren’t much different. Alec sat with his head laid face down and using his arms as a pillow, and Liam- having only just sat down- did so with his body slumped as he wrestled with the container holding his pancakes. 

The same could not be said about Brett though. Brett was standing beside the table holding his container and shoving the half-finished meal into his mouth- talking animatedly about some guy he’d met at the place he got their food. The story fell on deaf ears though and was only covering the groans of pain the majority of the group let out at different intervals. 

Dropping into his designated seat beside Liam, Theo opened his container and ignored the look Liam threw at him. Maybe he had noticed his absence during the freak out in the bathroom, Theo thought; interpreting Liam’s look as nothing other than concern. Nevertheless, Liam didn’t relent and continued to throw furrowed glances at Theo every few minutes. 

“What?”

“What?” Liam returned around the food in his mouth, a sickly-sweet pancake chunk landed on the table as he did so. 

“Gross,” Theo grumbled, batting the crumb towards Alec who was dead to the world, “Why do you keep looking at me?”

“What do you mean?”

“You keep glancing at me and looking all concerned, I don’t know.”

“Well I’m not.”

“Yes you were.”

“Fine,” Liam huffed and stabbed his pancake with his fork in frustration, “You were in the bathroom a while. I was worried, that’s why I came to check on you and now you’re being quiet.”

Theo wanted to laugh and tease. He wanted to punch Liam and the shoulder and ‘aww’ whilst laughing with the group about how ‘Liam really did care about him.’ However all he could do was gawk at the tone of voice Liam used whilst saying such genuine words. 

“Oh,” Theo gulped, hiding it with his own mouthful of food, “Uh- it’s just how I get during a hangover, you know?”

“Has your healing not kicked in?”

Theo groaned internally. Why did he always have to question everything?

“Yeah but...this is just like the aftermath. A little bit of sickness and a headache.”

“Right…” Liam spoke with obvious suspicion- but before Liam could voice any counter arguments, Brett threw himself into the seat next to him and proceeded to snatch a forkful of food from his plate. Causing Liam to smack him upside the head and growl something along the lines of ‘Get your own!’

Blowing out a heavy breath, Theo had a passing thought that Liam definitely acted differently around him. Sure, that may be due to the fact that they had lived under the same roof for months now and spent every free minute together. Theo still pondered on the thought constantly nevertheless, Liam’s drunken confession over the voicemail only heightened the intensity of these thoughts. 

“I’m going to go to the toilet.”

Brett and Liam turned away from their roughhousing and the latter looked at Theo with raised eyebrows, “You just left the bathroom though?” 

“Yeah well,” Theo ran his nails along the back of his head, “I need it again.” Theo turned then and stalked his way back up the stairs into the bathroom, before he could shut the door behind him a hand hit the door. 

“What is up with you?”

Theo turned and came face to face with Brett, “Can a guy not go to the toilet in peace?”

“Yes he can, but you’re not going to use the actual toilet.”

“How would you know that?”

“Because you’ve peed in front of me with no shame on multiple occasions.”

Theo rested his hip against the counter and huffed, digging his fingers into his eyes and not making any move to reply. Frowning at him, Brett closed the door behind him and settled onto the closed toilet seat, “What’s going on with you?”

Once again Theo didn’t reply, instead he fished out the phone and played the voicemail. At first, Brett seemed amused-- laughing as he listened to Liam’s drunken rambling. But as the second voicemail played through, Brett’s laugh morphed into one of shock as he covered his mouth abruptly. 

“Oh my god.”

“I know.”

“Oh my god.”

“I kno-”

“No Theo, you’re not getting it,” Brett stood up with a bright grin covering his face, “This is great.”

“How?!”

“Liam has feelings for someone.”

“I know,” Theo spoke slowly, nodding his head, “I heard the voicemail too.”

“Yeah,” Brett nodded along, at a slightly faster pace, “That person could be you.”

“As if.” Theo snorted and made a run for the door, Brett’s hand clasped around his arm stopped him. 

“I’m being serious Theo,” Brett lowered his voice to a whisper, “Have you seen the way he looks at you?”

“I have feelings for him Brett, I think about this kind of thing every single day.”

Brett awed at that, placing a hand on his chest and tilting his head to the side. Theo couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not so he settled on delivering a swift jab to his shoulder, “Fuck off.”

Brett proceeded to wrestle Theo into a headlock and deliver a number of jabs to his stomach. The two were laughing as they danced around the bathroom- Theo eventually managed to roll out of the hold and leant down to catch his breath. 

“Well,” Brett wheezed, straightening his shirt and rubbing at a light bruise on his stomach, “We’ll see if Liam has feelings for you right now.”

“How?”

“We are about to walk out of the bathroom together, sweaty and with messy hair. Let’s not forget the noise we were making a few minutes ago.”

“ _Oh shit._ ”

-

Brett was right. As soon as they closed the door behind them the conversation that had inhabited the kitchen quickly died. Theo realised as they entered the kitchen that the group had definitely presumed what Brett had warned as every occupant turned to face them. Nolan whistled slowly, “You guys were having some crazy sex in there.” 

Corey and Mason broke into a fit of hysteria, turning their faces into each other's shoulder in an attempt to muffle their reaction. Alec slurped his drink, giving both Theo and Brett the raised eyebrow and side-eye combo. Liam's reaction was the most interesting, he was sat at the counter where Theo had last seen him- but instead of tuning into the laughter that filled the room, he stared down at his tightly clasped hands with a pinched expression. He looked like the thought of Brett and Theo together physically pained him. 

“Well,” Liam cleared his throat, not looking up at the duo, “If it isn’t my two least favourite people in the group getting together.”

The noise in the kitchen once again died abruptly as Liam’s words sliced through the room. Theo felt sick. He thought that the days where him and Liam shared their distaste to each through harsh words and bruised firsts were over. He could feel Brett staring at the side of his face, an unspoken apology probably sat in his eyes. 

“Wow!” Mason interjected, clapping his hands together in an attempt to brighten the mood slightly, “Why don’t we put on a movie, yeah? We’re all obviously still tired from last night.”

A chorus of agreement sounded throughout the room, but all Theo could focus on was the stormy look Liam was giving him. 

-

 **Liam (10:54):** Shit. sorry. I only just came onto my phone and saw the stuff i sent you last night. That is really embarrassing. 

Theo turned away from the movie and discreetly dug the phone that vibrated against his thigh- He was sitting alone on one of the armchairs and out of view from the rest of the pack. 

**Secret Bud (10:55):** Don’t worry, I wasn’t exactly expecting you to have feelings for me from the get go. 

**Liam (10:55):** Okay I really need to change your contact name.

 **Liam (10:55):** But, yeah. I’m sorry. 

Anonymous (10:56): Don’t worry about it. What’d you change my contact to?

 **Liam (10:56):** “Anonymous” haha 

**Anonymous (10:57):** Wow. You make me sound kinda mysterious. 

**Liam (10:58):** Well I have no idea who you are..so you do fit that description. 

**Anonymous (10:58):** Okay you got me. 

**Liam (10:59):** So I kinda texted you for a reason. 

**Anonymous (10:59):** Oh? You’re coming to me now?

 **Liam (10:59):** Funny. I made a mistake. 

**Liam (11:00):** I said something I really didn’t mean and now I don’t know how to fix it. 

Theo stared down at the message, what? Glancing at Liam, he took note of how the boy was barely paying attention to the movie; he was chewing his lip and tapping his thumbs against the sides of his phone screen. He looked up then, making direct eye contact with Theo who was still staring at him. Both looked away from each immediately, Theo felt a hot flush covering his cheeks and neck. 

**Anonymous (11:03):** Why don’t you just apologise?

 **Liam (11:03):** idk. What I said was the kind of thing that ends a friendship. 

**Anonymous (11:04):** Well, maybe try explaining yourself. You obviously regret saying it so as long as you express that it’ll hopefully be alright. 

Disappointment filled Theo as he read his own message, he was really about to just forgive Liam as easily as that. Liam hadn’t even voiced his apology to Theo in person yet- as far as Liam knew Theo had no idea how he felt. This was really starting to get messy. 

-

Eventually Mason kicked them all out par Corey, claiming that he needed to clean up the mess they had all made before his parents returned home. As they left, Brett gave him a nod and a reassuring squeeze to the shoulder, his actions saying ‘it’ll be fine, he didn’t mean it.’ Theo nodded in return, he knew that now; he just prayed that Liam would muster the courage to say it to his face. 

“Home?” Liam asked with a gesture toward the truck, a tight smile on his face. 

“Sure.” 

The drive home was silent for the most part, a song played at low volume on the radio and Liam sat in the passenger seat, switching between staring out of the window and chewing at his nail. Theo tapped at the steering wheel, waiting for Liam to make the first move. He did exactly that as soon as they walked through the front door. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Hm?” Theo acted in an innocent and unknowing nature, going as far as hanging his jacket up and walking further into the house. 

“Theo!” Liam exclaimed, running after him, “You know what.” 

“No, I don’t. Care to enlighten me?” 

“Theo stop,” Liam wrapped his hand around Theo’s arm in an attempt to get him to stop. Theo spun around then, shoving Liam away from him. 

“No, you can’t tell me what to do anymore, because from what I remember- you basically hate me and our entire friendship is one sided from what I can see.” 

“Theo, you know I didn’t mean that.” 

“You sounded pretty serious to me.” 

“Theo I-” Liam stopped, an obvious attempt at gathering his pride, “I don’t like you and Brett together so I did the only thing I know how to do and got angry and said things I didn’t mean and now-” 

“Liam.” 

“What?” 

“Me and Brett aren’t together.” 

“What?” Liam repeated, this time at a much higher pitch, “You aren’t?” 

“No,” Theo snorted, “He came into the bathroom to check up on me, acted like his stupid annoying self and then we wrestled a bit.” 

“Oh,” Liam gaped, sounding very disappointed in himself but also slightly relieved, “Oh god.” 

“Yeah,” Theo laughed, “Just friends, he really isn’t my type.” They both broke into laughter then, before Liam gave him a look. 

“I don’t dislike you. At all.” 

“I know.” 

“I mean like, you're basically up there with Mason. You're my best friend Theo.” 

Theo pressed his lips together, grinning at Liam so brightly he thought he’d pulled a muscle, “You’re my best friend too Liam. Next to Brett obviously.” 

Liam shook his head, pinching his arm quickly and then heading towards the staircase, “I’m honoured.” 

\- 

**Liam (13:45):** Thanks. Your advice actually worked. 

**Anonymous (13:46):** I didn’t doubt it for a second. 

**Liam (13:46):** Oh shut up. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I hope to update this regularly, so look out for any updates. :) 
> 
> If you would like to contact me for any reason, I am constantly on tumblr. Through the use of either @lilyoselrc or @lilymilkovich (although the latter is a sideblog I do tend to be more active over on there for some reason..oops)


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